Yuki Tsunoda throws Red Bull under the bus with 'unfair' Max Verstappen complaint

Yuki Tsunoda says it is 'unfair' to compare him with Max Verstappen, partly because Red Bull have not given them 'exactly the same car'. Tsunoda has had a torrid time since stepping into the team's second seat to replace Liam Lawson, who himself couldn't get anywhere near Verstappen in the first two races of the season.

A string of drivers have struggled alongside Verstappen in what is meant to be one of the fastest cars on the grid. Lawson, who was given the chop in double-quick time and sent back to sister team Racing Bulls, has earned more than twice as many points as Tsunoda since they traded places.

Things have been particularly bleak for the Japanese driver over the past six race weekends. He failed to score a point or finish higher than 12th on each occasion, leaving Red Bull fourth in the Constructors' Championship.

Incredibly, Verstappen has picked up a whopping 185 of Red Bull's 192 points this season. But ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, Tsunoda raised some eyebrows by appearing to suggest that the team have given him a quicker car.

He said: "[Verstappen] always extracts performance consistently every session, every Grand Prix, it's very impressive. It's not something that you can do very easily, and it seems like he can. It looks like he does it very easily.

"But at the same time, I just don't think it's fair to compare [us]. And I don't want to directly compare with him because he's been here nine years in that car and I'm just jumping into the car. And also, I'm not... well, let's see if I get exactly the same car. Until that point, I can't compare directly.

"Until then, I'm just focused on myself because I know clearly what I can improve and I just progress in my own way, step by step."

Tsunoda's contract expires at the end of this season, leaving him in a fight to prolong his F1 career, let alone his stay in one of the most coveted seats on the grid. Reports suggest that Red Bull are weighing up a driver change, with young Isack Hadjar impressing for Racing Bulls.

Whoever gets the nod will once again have to sit alongside Verstappen who, in the wake of Christian Horner's departure, has confirmed that he will stay with Red Bull for the 2026 season despite recent links to Mercedes.